Cooling tower deck slat spacer



Oct. 3, 1967 P. M. PHELPS I 3,345,048

COOLING TOWER DECK SLAT SPACER Filed July 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 11 ffXffifff INVENTOR.

P5752 M. z4p; 1

Oct. 3, 1967 'P. M. PHELPS COOLING TOWER DECK SLAT SPACER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 13, 1964 INVENTOR. P5752 M. PHELAS United States Patent T 3,345,048 COOLING TOWER DECK SLAT SPACER Peter M. Phelps, Kentfield, Calif, assignor to The Fluor Corporation, Ltd., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed July 13, 1964, Ser. No. 382,302 8 Claims. (Cl. 261-112) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Cooling tower slats are mounted in parallel relation by a pair of frames which are spaced apart along the slats. The frames have slat bridging strips interconnected by cross pieces which are staggered and spaced apart to receive the slats. The construction is such as to allow manipulation of the frames to carry the slats between collapsed condition and fully extended condition.

This invention relates generally to the construction of cooling towers, and more particularly concerns the handling of grid decking slats in groups to facilitate their transportation and quick installation in cooling towers.

The process of installing grid decking slats one by one in a cooling tower is a time consuming and laborious process, adding significantly to the cost of tower construction. If deck slats are formed in prefabricated grids, such grids are expensive to ship because of the large amount of void space left between the slats. It is a major object of this invention to afford method and means to reduce substantially the time and expense of decking slat installation, and also to overcome the problem of high shipping cost of prefabricated grids. Basically, the advantages of the invention flow from the novel principle or method of assembling a group of slats and a frame or frames in such manner as to form a collapsed yet expansible bundle in which the slats are retained by the frame to extend in generally parallel side by side relation for economical transportation; and ultimately expanding the bundle at the site of a cooling tower as by eifecting relative swinging of the slats and framework in such manner as to simultaneously separate the slats from one another while allowing the frame to retain them in generally parallel conformation for installation in a cooling tower. Accordingly, the group of swiftly expanded slats may then be simply placed on the tower cross supports with the frames left hanging on the slats.

In its .apparatus aspects the invention contemplates the provision of .a slat bridging frame for positioning the slats in predetermined relation, the frame having a pair of slat bridging side strips as well as a staggered succession of cross pieces carried by the side strips. Openings formed between the'cross pieces are adapted to receive the slats to project in generally parallel relation, and the cross pieces are spaced to act as limits for loosely retaining the slats for limited swinging movement as a group between collapsed and extended conditions. Further, in collapsed condition the slats are bundled close together for shipment, while in extended condition the slats are mutually spaced apart for installation in a tower. More specifically, the cross pieces are typically staggered lengthwise of the bridging side strips to provide the desired limits and are so arranged that the slat bundle has parallelogram boundary shape in collapsed condition, and rectangular bundle shape in expanded condition.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation taken in section through a cool- 3,345,048 Patented Oct. 3, 1967 lCC ing tower showing the expanded bundles of slats therein;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective showing of .an expanded bundle of slats supported upon cross members in a cooling tower;

FIG. 3 illustrates in perspective a collapsed bundle of slats;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation taken in section through the FIG. 2. bundle of slats; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a typical cooling tower 10 has side walls 11 provided with louvers 12 to admit air into the lower interior 13 of the tower, the air then flowing upwardly as indicated by the arrows 14. The air is drawn upwardly through the tower chamber as by a fan 15 rotating within ,a stack 16 mounted on the top 17 of the tower. Liquid to be cooled, as for example water, is supplied to the tower as by the conduit 18 from which the liquid is distributed as by sprinklers 19 into the upper interior of the tower. The liquid 20 falling from the sprinklers is typically intercepted by the grid decking 21 at different horizontal levels within the tower chamber to promote heat exchange with the upwardly flowing air. The cooled liquid collecting at the bottom of the tower may then be removed for use. Liquid particles entrained in the upwardly flowing air are to be a substantial extent removed from the air by so-called drift eliminator bafiles 22 arranged across an upper interior of the chamber to receive impingement of the upwardly flowing .air traveling toward the fan. Such detrained liquid then drops back into the tower to ultimately descend through the grid decking.

In accordance with the invention, the grid decking 21 is comprised of like assemblies 23 which include groups of elongated slats 24 and one or more frames 25 positioning the slats in predetermined relation, as for example is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Generally speaking, the frames 25 have limits loosely retaining the slats for limited swinging movement as a group relative to the frames and between collapsed condition in which the slats are bundled close together for shipment such as for example is illustrated in FIG. 3, and extended condition in which the slats are mutually spaced apart for installation in the tower. An example of the latter condition is shown in FIG. 2.

More specifically, as respects the typical embodiment shown in the drawings, the frames 25 each have a pair of slat bridging strips or flanges 26, and pairs 27 of cross pieces 28 and 29, the latter being staggered in succession along or lengthwise of the strips 26 as "best seen inFIG. 5. Each pair 27 of cross pieces 28 and 29 forms an opening through which a slat 24 is receivable so that the slats may project in generally parallel relation in both collapsed and extended conditions. Typically, the frames 24 consist of molded plastic material such as polypropylene, and the slats 24 consist of wood, plastic, metal or other suitable material.

Closer inspection of FIGS. 4 and 5 will reveal that the cross pieces 28 and 29 of each pair 27 are spaced apart to form a gap 30 which is greater than the thickness of the slat projecting between said cross pieces. Furthermore, like pairs 27 of cross pieces are spaced to loosely retain the slats in extended condition, as seen in FIG. 5, with spacing 31 therebetween which is substantially greater than the slat thickness. Accordingly, the slats may be swung as a group between the solid line configuration of FIG. 5 which is representative of the FIG. 2 extended condition, and the broken line configuration 32 of FIG. 5 which is representative of the FIG. 3 collapsed condition of the bundle. In the latter condition the slats are closely spaced as indicated by the dimension 33 in FIG. 5 to facilitate economic shipment, whereas in the extended condition of FIG. 2 the slats are positioned for direct and rapid assembly into a cooling tower. Thus, the end portions 34 of the extended slats may be laid on the tower cross members 35, leaving the frames hanging on the slats and between the cross members 35. Typically, the slat bundles would be unracked or expanded by the workman standing within the tower at the level of the cross members 35, showing that he need not handle the slats individually but rather in groups. Such expansion of the bundles is carried out to bring the equal length slats 24 from parallelogram bounded bundle shape, as seen in FIG. 3, into rectangle bounded bundle shape, as seen in FIG. 2.

Referring again to FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be noted that the cross pieces 28 and 29 of each pair act as limits preventing further counterclockwise swinging of the slats 24 when they have been expanded into approximately rectangle bounded bundle shape. The cross pieces of successive pairs act as limits which only prevent further clockwise rotation of the slats 24 after they have been carried into closely collapsed condition as represented by the broken line configuration 32. When pairs of frames or spacers 25 are used as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slats are maintained in generally parallel condition throughout their unracking or expanding swinging movement.

Closer inspection of FIG. 2 will also show that adjacent assemblies 23 may be mounted in a tower on the cross members so as to maintain the desired spacing of the slats 24 horizontally across the tower at the grid decking location. For this purpose, the frames 25 of the adjacent bundles or assemblies may be shifted lengthwise along the slats so that the slat 24a of a bundle or assembly 23a may fit adjacent the single cross member 36 at the end of a spacer 25, this also being shown in FIG. 4. Accordingly, the spacers 25 have another function which is to properly locate the bundles of expanded slats as they are laid up in the cooling tower chamber to function as grid decking, the workmans task being correspondingly facilitated or eased.

I claim:

1. For combination in a cooling tower, a group of elongated slats usable as decking, and a like pair of frames positioning the slats in predetermined relation, the frames being spaced apart and each being defined by a parallel pair of slat bridging strips interconnected by cross pieces openly spaced lengthwise of said strips and in staggered succession, the cross pieces being transversely elongated and extending generally perpendicularly, with respect to the strips, said strips and cross pieces forming openings through which the slats project in generally parallel relation, and said cross pieces loosely retaining the slats for limited swinging movement as a group relative to the frame and between collapsed condition in which the slats are bundled close together for shipment, and extended condition in which the slats are mutually spaced apart for installation in the tower.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the cross pieces are grouped in like pairs lengthwise of said strips,

4. the spaces between the two cross pieces of said like pairs being substantially equal and greater than the thickness of the slats which are received in said spaces, the slat thicknesses being substantially equal.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which the like pairs of cross pieces are spaced to loosely retain the slats in said extended condition with spacing therebetween which is greater than the slat thicknesses.

4. The combination of claim 1 including a liquid cooling tower having a chamber and means to displace gas and liquid in counter-flow heat exchange relation within the chamber, and carrier means in the chamber supporting groups of said slats in said extended condition, said carrier means being spaced from said frames.

5. For combination with a group of elongated slats usable as decking in a cooling tower, a frame for positioning the slats in predetermined relation, the frame being defined by a parallel pair of slat bridging strips interconnected by cross pieces openly spaced lengthwise of said strips and in staggered succession, the cross pieces being transversely elongated and extending generally perpendicularly, with respect to the strips, the strips and cross pieces forming openings through which the slats are receivable to project in generally parallel relation, the cross pieces spaced to act as limits for loosely retaining the slats for limited swinging movement as a group relative to the frame and between collapsed condition in which the slats are bundled close together for shipment, and extended condition in which the slats are mutually spaced apart for installation in the tower.

6. The frame as defined in claim 5 in which the cross pieces are grouped in like pairs lengthwise of said strips, the spaces between the two cross pieces of said like pairs being substantially equal and greater than the thicknesses of the slats which are received in said spaces.

7. The frame as defined in claim 6 in which like pairs of cross pieces are spaced to loosely retain the slats in said extended condition with spacing therebetween which is greater than the slat thicknesses.

8. The frame as defined in claim 5 in which the side strips and cross pieces are integral and comprised of molded plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 855,448 6/ 1907 Do'herty. 2,656,168 10/1953 Ayres. 2,687,283 8/ 1954 Enghauser 25621 2,695,773 11/1954 McGrath. 2,996,792 8/1961 Mackie 29-1573 3,059,924 10/ 1962 Brown 273-37 FOREIGN PATENTS 562,544 9/ 1958 Canada. 599,175 5/1960 Canada.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

E. H. RENNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR COMBINATION IN A COOLING TOWER, A GROUP OF ELONGATED SLATS USABLE AS DECKING, AND A LIKE PAIR OF FRAMES POSITIONING THE SLATS IN PREDETERMINED RELATION, THE FRAMES BEING SPACED APART AND EACH BEING DEFINED BY A PARALLEL PAIR OF SLAT BRIDGING STRIPS INTERCONNECTED BY CROSS PIECES OPENLY SPACED LENGTHWISE OF SAID STRIPS AND IN STAGGERED SUCCESSION, THE CROSS PIECES BEING TRANSVERSELY ELONGATED AND EXTENDING GENERALLY PERPENDICULARLY, WITH RESPECT TO THE STRIPS, SAID STRIPS AND CROSS PIECES FORMING OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH THE SLATS PROJECT IN GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION, AND SAID CROSS PIECES LOOSELY RETAINING THE SLATS FOR LIMITED SWINGING MOVEMENT AS A GROUP RELATIVE TO THE FRAME AND BETWEEN COLLAPSED CONDITION IN WHICH THE SLATS ARE BUNDLED CLOSE TOGETHER FOR SHIPMENT, AND EXTENDED CONDITION IN WHICH THE SLATS ARE MUTUALLY SPACED APART FOR INSTALLATION IN THE TOWER. 